Valley politicians promote water bond to voters [Fresno Bee]
The
California Latino Water Coalition gave thanks Wednesday to a wide array of
individuals -- most notably a bipartisan group of state lawmakers -- for their
roles in forging a $7.5 billion water bond that will go to voters in
November….For all the congratulatory gladhanding at the Sunnyside Country Club
on Wednesday, however, several people noted that the job is only half done.
Assembly Member Henry T. Perea, a Fresno Democrat, said reaching legislative
consensus on a new bond proposal is just "phase one of a very big,
momentous occasion. I say phase one because the voters still have to vote this
coming November and that is why we're here today -- to educate the voters, make
sure the voters understand what's really at stake with this water
bond."…Several prominent central San Joaquin Valley farmers and ranchers
were on hand Wednesday, and that community is likely to play a major role in
helping bankroll the campaign.
Pump
until it’s gone? [Hanford Sentinel]
Those
in the local community who support groundwater regulation hailed last week’s
sweeping state legislation as the end of California’s “pump as you please”
policy. But to soften the blow, the plan gives local water agencies and local
governments more than five years to come up with a workable strategy. The
deadline for high-overdraft areas like the Kings River basin and the Tulare
Lake basin to come up with a groundwater sustainability plan that meets the
criteria outlined in the law is 2020. Assuming that Gov. Jerry Brown signs off
on the legislation (he hasn’t yet but is expected to), what happens in the
period before water districts, counties and farmers come up with a plan,
especially if the process drags out for years? Do growers and cities get to
pump as much as they want in the interim?
Water
conservation urged at BC forum [Bakersfield Californian]
A
chemistry professor, an industrial drawing major, and elected officials called
on students to save water, and their fellow politicians to put people before
fish, at a Bakersfield College forum Wednesday. The men spoke during an
informal half-hour public comment period that opened the three-hour event,
aimed at drawing attention to California’s historic drought. They were followed
by dire news from a farming official who warned the drought could require
fallowing nearly a quarter of Kern County’s farm land and cost thousands of
jobs if it continues next year….After public comment, Kern County Farm Bureau
President Greg Wegis told a newly assembled group of students in the Fireside
Room that if it doesn’t rain this winter, farmers will have to stop growing
crops on more than 180,000 of Kern County’s 800,000 acres of irrigated farm
land.
Editorial: Waiting for proof
positive of negative drought's effects? [Marysville Appeal – Democrat]
Still
waiting for some positive proof of the negative impacts of drought? For some
folks, the trickle down is negligible….Well, the volume of the trickle down
might increase a fair amount in the coming couple months, as the rice crop is
brought in. The volume harvested will be a good deal less this year — there's
no way around that. The number of acres left fallow that would otherwise be
harvested, is too great….That will mean fewer dollars circulated in the
community from wages paid and profits spent. There will be fewer new farm
implements sold; fewer pickup trucks moved off the lots….The economics of
drought will catch up to all of us sooner or later. We should all be engaged in
discussion of how to mitigate this and future dry spells.
Editorial: Drought not just a
California problem [USA Today]
…California
is in the third year of one of its worst droughts of the past century….Beyond
the obvious risks of wildfires and crop losses, this drought carries lessons
about the need for states and localities to prepare for extreme weather and to
invest in water resources, just as they need to spend money on roads, bridges,
airports and other basic public works. Such investment is lagging….That makes
the appropriate response an "all of the above" approach that includes
improving groundwater management, cleaning up contaminated aquifers, raising
prices for heavy water users and increasing conservation, storage and
recycling. Passage of a $7 billion water bond on the November ballot in
California would be an important step.
Immigrants
illegally in California comprise nearly 10% of workforce [Los Angeles Times]
Immigrants
who are in California illegally make up nearly 10% of the state's workforce and
contribute $130 billion annually to its gross domestic product, according to a
report by researchers at USC released Wednesday. The study, which was conducted
in conjunction with the California Immigrant Policy Center, was based on Census
data and other statistics, including data from the departments of Labor and
Homeland Security. It looked at a variety of ways the estimated 2.6-million
immigrants living in California without permission participate in state life.
Among the study's findings: Immigrants who are in California illegally make up
38% of the agriculture industry and 14% of the construction industry.
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